Creating a Bag of DeKalb Corn
DeKalb corn has gained market share in the U.S. for six consecutive years, but without the work of seed production plants across the country, this growth would not have been possible. The employees at these facilities work year-round to grow, prepare, package and ship the products farmers plant, but it’s not as easy as it sounds.
One of these production facilities is located in Boone, Iowa, directly across the street from the Farm Progress Show site. At this year’s show, some DeKalb customers will have the opportunity to tour the plant and look behind the scenes at the production of the seed they plant every spring. For those not able to see it first-hand, here’s a look at the making of a bag of DeKalb corn.
Growing
“The first step in the whole process is growing the seed we will sell to farmers,” Nate Cottington, Boone site manager, said. “We contract with local famers to grow our crop. We supervise the crop and have scouts and technicians walk the fields from time to time, but we simply supervise until detasseling starts.”
Detasseling is typically performed during the last three weeks of July, and it requires 1,500-2,000 workers. The plant uses machines to do this, but it is still a labor-intensive process, as employees must follow behind the tractors and look for any missed tassels. Because of this, detasseling represents about one-third of the total cost to get the seed from the field into the bag. When detasseling, employees cut higher on the plant than would be typical of a farming operation. This is to retain more plant leaf, which results in better yield and quality.
Harvesting
Harvesting is also done differently than in traditional farming. Typical combines remove the husk and kernels from the ear as they harvest the fields, but production corn is harvested with specialized equipment that removes the ear from the plant with the kernels and husk intact.
“Using this equipment and keeping the husk on helps cushion and protect the kernels from damage,” Cottington said. “A kernel is a living organism, so any time you drop it, hit it or cause any type of impact to it, you cause damage. This could hurt the seed, which could impact yield, so we do anything we can to minimize this.”
“We also harvest earlier in the year and at a higher moisture content than farmers,” Vern Oziah, western corn plant operations lead, said. “This not only protects the quality of the crop but it also allows us to control how the moisture is extracted--rather than nature.”
Harvesting at higher moisture content keeps the kernels from falling off the ear. To harvest at higher moisture, the corn must be harvested early, which also helps minimize harm from insects and diseases.
Husking and Sorting
Approximately 120 trucks a day deliver harvested corn to the Boone plant from September through early October. Once the crop is delivered, a combination of machines and people husk and sort the ears.
“Our employees do a visual inspection for purity, meaning they’re looking for any off-type ears that don’t look the same as the others,” Oziah said. “We’re looking for genetic uniformity, so we want all ears to look the same. They are also looking for and throwing out any diseased ears.”
“DeKalb has a solid reputation based on our genetics, and this sorting process is one of the ways we maintain that,” Cottington added.
Drying
Once the cobs have the husks removed and the off-quality ears have been discarded, the corn goes to the drying bins, where the moisture content is taken from approximately 32 percent to 12 percent. Corn must be dried to prevent it from molding and spoiling, which would impact the quality and yield.
“We use low heat when drying to protect the quality of the seed and ensure early-season vigor,” Cottington said. “Farmers seem to be planting their corn earlier every year, and we want 100 percent of our plants to be healthy and withstand the harsh weather conditions that could arise. Drying at lower temperatures helps the seeds perform better in the early development stages.”
“We have a lot of capital invested in our drying system,” Oziah added. “Our dryers are the same anyone else can purchase, but we have our own drying control system that allows us to dry to prescription. This system is what gives us our advantage over our competitors.”
Shelling, Storing and Processing
Once the seed is dried, it’s finally ready for shelling, or removing the kernels from the ear. DeKalb uses a special process to gently remove the kernels from the cob, once again minimizing damage to the seed.
“After shelling, the seed goes to our state-of-the-art bulk storage system where it remains until it’s processed and bagged,” Oziah said. The bulk storage system is indoors and insulated, protecting the corn from any adverse effects of daily temperature changes.
When the product is ready to be bagged, it goes through the sizing and cleaning process. The grain is lifted by elevators to the top floor of the plant. Using gravity, kernels flow through a series of screens that separate them by size (round vs. flat and small vs. large). By the time they reach the bottom floor, sizing has been completed.
Next, the kernels go through a process known as cleaning, where less-dense or damaged seeds are removed. In the near future, this will also be followed by a color sorter, which is used to ensure uniform seed color.
“We want to make sure the bags of seed farmers receive contain grain that is as uniform as possible, whether it’s size, color, density or whatever,” Oziah said. “This allows farmers to plant a uniform crop, which allows for higher yields.”
The Boone plant produces 10,000 bags per day from September through February, adding up to 1.5 million bags of DeKalb corn per season. In the coming months, however, this is likely to change. More farmers than ever are planting DeKalb, so the demand on production facilities has increased. Monsanto is investing $230 million in Iowa to more than double seed corn production in the state. This means expansion at the Boone facility, and more DeKalb corn in farmers’ fields.
